The Spine (film)

The Spine
Two DVD set that contains the film
Directed byChris Landreth
Written byChris Landreth
Produced by
Starring
Edited by
Music byKirk Elliott
Animation by
Production
companies
Distributed byNational Film Board of Canada
Release date
  • June 8, 2009 (2009-06-08) (Annecy)
Running time
11 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

The Spine is a 2009 animated short film by Chris Landreth about a married dysfunctional couple, created in Landreth's "psycho realist" style, in which characters' mental states are reflected in their physical appearance.[1] Voices for the couple were supplied by Gordon Pinsent and Alberta Watson.[2][3]

Landreth has explained his animation style as "a kind of surrealistic portrayal of real people and what I do with the surrealistic part is to make people's emotional, psychological and spiritual state kind of very evident on their faces and in their body so that they look …scarred in a way that reflects their history."[2]

The Spine was produced by the National Film Board of Canada in association with Copperheart Animation and C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures, with the creative participation of Autodesk Canada and Seneca College's School of Communication Arts.[4][5] It is Landreth's second film with Copper Heart and the NFB, having won the 2004 Academy Award for Animated Short Film and the 25th Genie Award for Best Animated Short for his previous work, Ryan.[2]

  1. ^ Thill, Scott (1 September 2009). "Chris Landreth's Twisted Spine Will Melt Your Mind". Wired. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  2. ^ a b c "The Spine displays Landreth's unique animation style". CBC News. 17 June 2009. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  3. ^ Wilner, Norman (12 June 2009). "Spine-tingling short". Now. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  4. ^ "The Spine". Official website. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  5. ^ Desowitz, Bill (9 June 2009). "Chris Landreth Talks The Spine" (Interview). Animation World Network. Retrieved 12 March 2011.